Remote Work Opportunities

Remote Work Didn’t Fix Work. It Just Revealed What Was Already Broken. Post pandemic, remote work has been treated as a retention strategy. Offer flexibility, keep talent. The logic seemed airtight — until the data arrived to complicate it. A new study in Management Science, drawing on nearly 165,000 employees across 73,000 U.S. firms between 2020 and 2023, asks a question most organizations have avoided: Is remote work actually driving satisfaction, or are we confusing the signal for the source? The answer is uncomfortable for flexibility advocates. The “Remote Premium” Is Largely an Illusion. Yes, remote employees report higher job satisfaction and lower intent to leave — on the surface. But once researchers controlled for compensation, role type, demographics, and workplace culture factors like pay transparency, development opportunities, and feeling genuinely valued, the remote premium nearly vanished. What remained was a more fundamental truth: how people experience work matters far more than where they do it. What Actually Moves the Needle? — Two findings deserve boardroom attention. First, workplace fundamentals dominate. Feeling appreciated, having growth opportunities, and trusting leadership predict satisfaction at a magnitude remote work simply cannot match. Location is a perk. Culture is the foundation. Second — and more counterintuitively — remote work doesn’t automatically improve retention. When culture is held constant, fully remote employees actually show a higher intention to leave within six months. Flexibility without belonging accelerates exits, not prevent them. When Remote Work Does Help? The effects aren’t uniform. Flexibility delivers the clearest benefit in two specific scenarios: low-coordination roles where autonomy is genuinely productive, and teams with poor managers — where distance reduces friction rather than connection. That last point is worth sitting with. Remote work is most valuable as an escape from bad management. That’s not a ringing endorsement of the model — it’s a diagnostic of where organizations are failing. The Real Lesson Longitudinal data from the Gallup Workforce Panel reinforces the conclusion: strong managers moderate and enhance the value of remote work, while weak management makes flexibility backfire. Remote work is an amplifier, not a foundation. It makes strong cultures stronger and exposes weak ones faster. Organizations chasing hybrid policies while neglecting managerial quality, psychological safety, and genuine recognition are solving the wrong problem — with the wrong lever. The future of work isn’t about location. It’s about whether people feel trusted, developed, and led well enough to stay — regardless of where they’re sitting.

I just told a CPA his fancy office is costing him $200,000 per year. He was confused. So I showed him the math. His current situation: → Downtown office: $4,500/month rent → Receptionist: $3,500/month → Fancy furniture, parking, utilities → Total overhead: $8,000/month = $96,000/year To cover that overhead: → Needs 120 tax clients at $800 each → Working 70-hour weeks in tax season → Just to break even on fixed costs What he COULD do: → Virtual office: $200/month → No receptionist (calendar automation) → Work from home office → Total overhead: $800/month = $9,600/year Same 120 clients, but now: → $86,400 MORE hits his pocket → Can charge less and still make more → Or keep pricing and dramatically increase profit He said: "But clients expect a nice office." I said: "Do they? Or is that what you expect?" Here's what I've learned: Advisory clients don't care about your office. They care about your brain. They'd rather Zoom with a brilliant advisor than drive to a fancy office for mediocre advice. The CPAs making $400K+ working from home: → Zero commute time → Minimal overhead → Better margins → More flexibility The CPAs paying $5K/month for office space: → Need more clients just to cover rent → Stuck in one location → Can't take long vacations → Trapped by overhead And to be honest That fancy office isn't impressing clients. It's impressing you. And costing you $200K in opportunity cost over time. Here's the question: Is your overhead helping you grow? Or is it just making you feel legitimate?

Kay Fabella is one of THE most prolific podcasters in the inclusion space. Her podcast “Inclusion in Progress” has 131 episodes over 6 years. Kay’s got an interesting story: She’s a Filipina American from Los Angeles. She moved to Spain with a one-way ticket. She’s a daughter of immigrants who became an immigrant herself. As a non-EU citizen she had to be creative to find work. Her roles included being: - A singer - A food tour guide - An English teacher This was not an easy time. In 2008 Kay was hospitalised and diagnosed with clinical depression. She spent nearly two and a half years in recovery. This meant Kay had to develop tools to manage her mental health conditions while trying to earn a living. Working remotely saved her mental health. This set the stage for her idea of Inclusive Distributed Work. She talks about this A LOT. --- Most people think Distributed Work = Remote / Hybrid / In-office Kay says it also means being Global and Multicultural. Inclusive Distributed Work goes beyond  location flexibility. --- Have you heard about the remote vs return to office debate? Kay says it’s not a two-option debate. Turns out, there isn't just one way to work remotely There are 12. Which of these sounds like you? --- 1) Virtual-First with Planned In-Office Time – Example: Atlassian --- 2) Flexi-Remote with Core Office Weeks – Example: HubSpot --- 3) Output-Optimized Hybrid Work – Example: Salesforce --- 4) Hybrid with Optional In-Office Time – Example: LinkedIn --- 5) Hub-and-Spoke – Example: Dropbox --- 6) Fully Remote with Regional Hubs – Example: Automattic --- 7) Job Rotation – Example: Microsoft --- 8) Work-From-Anywhere + Cross-Cultural Hybrid – Example: Spotify --- 9) Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) – Example: Toptal --- 10) Asynchronous-First – Example: Buffer --- 11) Digital Nomad-Friendly – Example: Doist --- 12) Core Working Hours with Flexibility – Example: UnitedHealth Group --- Which of these does your team use? Kay’s insights completely changed the way I think about remote work. Maybe it will for you to. Check out the show here and make your own mind up https://lnkd.in/eVecY-4w PS. Notice what most of these companies have in common?

Are you struggling to make money in your business? One of the fastest ways to turn the corner is to cut costs. Here are 7 ways to cut costs: 1) Conduct a cost audit The word audit makes chills go up my back. Going through an audit stinks. But this is a different type of audit. Do a thorough review of your expenses to identify areas where you can reduce costs without too much impact on the business. 1. Pull 12 months of transactions 2. Label them: - Fixed or variable - Essential or non-essential 3. Identify subscriptions or recurring charges 4. Group them into 3 buckets: cut, review, or keep 2) Optimize operational efficiencies Easy to say right? Do these 3 things: 1. Incentivize your staff 2. Bring in an outside expert in automation and/or processes 3. Create a process flow diagram for your major processes and look for areas of improvement Work with your team on the review items to decide which to cut. 3) Adjust employee authorizations Revisit who you’ve authorized to do what and spot-check employee spending. This keeps employees accountable. Yes, give employees authorization to make decisions, but only when you have the proper structures in place. 4) Outsource Non-Core Activities You can’t be an expert in everything. Outsource activities like accounting, IT, marketing, and HR. Each requires immersion to become great, so let the pros handle it. 5) Re-negotiate contracts Build a relationship and understand the other businesses' needs. Share yours as well, then look for areas of mutual benefit. Just asking “we need to lower cost by 10%; how can we make that happen?” can open up the floodgates. 6) Leverage technology Consider what can be: 1. automated 2. move to the cloud 3. made more efficient Tech can be expensive up front, but often you’re saving in time or error reduction. Don’t pinch pennies while your team spends hours weekly on workarounds. 7) Setup a regular review Regularly reviewing costs, softwares, and processes is a great way to stay on top of your costs. This creates a culture of accountability. This often slips when people get busy, so make sure it’s a priority and stays on the schedule. Cost-cutting should be a temporary thing. A constant focus on cutting cost is going to sow doubt among your team. Cost reduction is a great first lever, but it should never be the only measure. Thank you for reading! This was originally in my newsletter, where I share business finance tips for 40k SMB owners each week. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gVigaTwi

If your relationship with your manager is over Zoom rather than in-person, you’re likely playing at a statistical disadvantage In the modern era of remote and hybrid work, casual hallway conversations and impromptu check-ins have often been replaced by structured weekly 1:1s over Zoom. So the question is, are “remote management” relationships as effective as “in-person management” relationships? Or is there a relationship tax associated with virtual-first relationships? Pave’s data science team analyzed 225K+ manager-report relationships in Pave’s dataset to find out. ___________________ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: We compared attrition rates for two groups: 1) in-person management relationships vs 2) virtual-first management relationships where a manager and their direct report are not located in the same city. In 6 out of 7 company size categories, attrition rates for in-person management relationships were 0.6 to 2.6 percentage points lower than virtual-first relationships. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. These patterns don't mean remote management can't work, but they do indicate it requires more intentional effort. ___________________ 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: All benchmarks come from 225k+ analyzed real-time employee data points from Pave’s dataset with reliable metro data for both the manager and direct report. There are multiple ways to break down attrition such as involuntary vs. voluntary and regrettable vs. non-regrettable. Today's analysis lumps all types of attrition together (so yes–the benchmarks below are inclusive of RIFs and layoffs and might seem higher than you are used to as a result). Pave’s data science team calculated employee attrition as the % of employees from 12 months ago that are no longer at the company today.

COVID-19 changed my life: How remote work became my path to freedom: Covid was a massive shake-up in the world of business, especially for us entrepreneurs. Before the pandemic, remote work was kind of seen as a cop-out, you know? Like, "Oh, you're just too lazy to come into the office." But then COVID came along and turned everything upside down. Suddenly, everybody had to work from home just to stay safe. This shift made remote work totally legitimate. Companies had to adapt, and FAST. It was like overnight, remote work became the new normal. And although it sounds weird... It made it easier to start my consulting business online. I was able to connect with clients and do business from anywhere. Thanks to this whole Covid mess, people got savvy with tools like Zoom. They learned how to collaborate no matter where they were. Companies realized they could hire talent from all over the globe. In a strange way, it opened up a world of possibilities… Now, I'm working with clients all across the U.S., from NYC to California. And contractors in the UK, Canada, and India (to name a few). I can live wherever I want without missing a beat. Just last month, I took off to Dallas with my wife for a little R&R, and my business ran as smoothly as ever while I was away. So, needless to say... Covid caused its fair share of headaches and misery. But it also gave us entrepreneurs the freedom to work how we want and where we want. A silver lining to a catastrophic moment in time. P.s. - How did Covid change your career or business? Thanks for reading. Follow Jordan Nelson for more Enjoyed this post? Share it with your network.

“Working from anywhere is the way to attract and retain talent nationally or globally. It’s a talent strategy, not a work arrangement.” – Prithwiraj Choudhury ‘Raj’, Lumry Family Associate Professor at Harvard Business School. In my latest podcast episode, from much research of labor migration, Raj uses real world examples to illustrate how decoupling location from labor creates options and opportunities for employers and employees. “Instead of moving the person, move the work. Let the person live where he, she or they want to live and just move the work to where the person is. So that's what I call ‘Work from Anywhere’”. Raj explains the benefits of Work-from-Anywhere models for local communities, from reversing brain drains to bringing remote workers to towns and cities stimulating more economic activity and community. He describes three key hybrid models of which two are Work-from-Anywhere enabling or friendly and how managers should be overseeing and supporting their distributed teams. “Performance should only be measured based on the quality of work and nothing else. So how many days people work, how many hours they work, how many meetings they attend, how many times does the manager see their face? All of that is irrelevant.” Raj is enthusiastic about the potential of AI to scale human capabilities as well as enabling important new flexibility for onsite workers. "With AI and automation and digital twins, now it's possible to work from anywhere in a blue collar setting for factory workers.” Don’t miss this illuminating and thought-provoking new episode which shares highlights from Raj’s new book released April 22nd – “The World is Your Office: How Working from Anywhere Boosts Talent, Productivity and Innovation”. Links below to the video and audio versions and Raj’s NEW book. ______________________________________________ For more insights about modern work, human-centered leadership in an AI-driven world, and much more, sign up for my NEW Work In Progress report newsletter 👇

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻-𝘁𝗼-𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 In June 2025, 21.6% of US employees worked remotely at least part time, down slightly from 22.3% in June 2024. Hybrid roles now account for 53.1% of workers who spend any time at home, compared to 46.9% in fully remote positions. Only 27% of companies will be back to a fully in-person model by year’s end, while 67% continue to offer hybrid flexibility. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 • 64% of US employees now prefer remote or hybrid roles over working from the office every day. • 61% of companies have formal RTO policies requiring employees to work on-site a minimum number of days each week. • The share of workers under office-mandate policies rose to 75% in late 2024, up from 63% in early 2023. • 46% of employees say they’d look for a new job if their employer stopped allowing remote or hybrid work. 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 In 2026 and beyond, organizations will refine return-to-office strategies using real-time utilization data and activity-based planning. Expect policies that: • Tie in-office days to project milestones, collaborative sprints, and mentorship sessions • Leverage AI-driven space optimization and smart scheduling to personalize the workplace • Blend virtual and in-person experiences through VR/AR or hybrid event platforms This evolution will shift RTO from a mandate to a tailored, outcome-driven experience. 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Likelihood to look for a new job if remote/hybrid work is revoked 64% Employees who’d seek new work without any remote options 46% Companies reporting higher retention by allowing remote work 76% Companies losing talent due to RTO policies 80% Hybrid/remote workers willing to accept a pay cut to stay remote 48% These figures underscore that overly rigid office mandates risk driving turnover, raising hiring costs, and eroding employer brand. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗗𝗼 𝗡𝗼𝘄 • Tie office days to clear objectives such as innovation workshops, client pitches, or onboarding ceremonies • Offer choice through dynamic scheduling tools and desk-hoteling platforms • Measure impact with OKRs and KPIs around collaboration hours, engagement scores, and retention rates • Invest in well-being amenities and quiet zones to support diverse needs • Communicate transparently—share usage data, policy rationale, and gather ongoing feedback By aligning RTO policies with both business outcomes and employee preferences, you’ll build a workplace that attracts top talent and sustains retention. What strategies have you found most effective in balancing office presence with flexibility? Share your insights below!

Inside the P&L The Real Story Behind Profit in Catering Operations "Numbers don’t lie but they only speak if you know how to listen" During Q3 2025 I conducted a full P&L review for one of large scale catering operations serving around 9,800 meals per day Here’s what the numbers revealed and the operational story behind each one P&L Overview (Q3 2025) Revenue: SAR 4,000,000 Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): 37.8% → SAR 1,512,000 Direct Labor: 26.4% → SAR 1,056,000 Utilities & Logistics: 6.2% → SAR 248,000 Maintenance & Equipment: 3.9% → SAR 156,000 Admin & Overheads: 8.5% → SAR 340,000 Depreciation: 2.7% → SAR 108,000 EBITDA: 14.5% → SAR 580,000 Net Profit: 12.2% → SAR 488,000 -Benchmark: Net margin target was 10–15% so performance was acceptable but slightly below the optimal 15–18% EBITDA target -Operational Deep Dive 1.Food Cost 37.8% (Target 35–38%) Variance analysis showed a 2.3% waste gap between theoretical and actual usage Main causes: overproduction on low attendance days (+1.1%) and portioning drift in meat items (+0.8%) Solution: introduced daily meal forecast vs issue reconciliation recovered 0.9% in 3 weeks Supplier review revealed 3 SKUs (cheese, rice, poultry) increased >10% in price -Re negotiation saved SAR 38,400 per month 2.Labor Cost – 26.4% (Target ≤26%) Overtime rose 17% due to seasonal events Reorganizing micro shifts cut idle hours by 6.8% saving SAR 45,000/month Implemented “event scheduling board” linking labor hours to confirmed bookings improved planning accuracy from 72% to 91% 3.Utilities & Logistics 6.2% (Target 5–7%) Diesel price increase + inefficient routes caused SAR 22,000/month excess Introduced GPS route optimization → reduced fuel consumption by 11.7% within one month 4.Administration & Overheads 8.5% (Target 7–9%) ERP implementation reduced manual errors by 68% saving ~SAR 27,000/month Subscription cost: SAR 4,500/month ROI achieved in 6 weeks 5.EBITDA & Margin Interpretation Every 1% improvement in waste control = SAR 40,000 monthly impact on gross profit With the fixes implemented projected Q4 EBITDA uplift: +2.4% bringing margins back to the 17% target range -Key Performance Ratios Food Cost: 37.8% → Controlled within target Labor Cost: 26.4% → Slightly high; under optimization Gross Profit Margin: 62.2% → Strong Net Profit Margin: 12.2% → On target Expense-to-Revenue: 87.8% → Acceptable Waste Variance: 2.3% → Needs improvement (<1.5% target) Final 80% of cost deviation came from operational planning not supplier pricing The ERP + data driven forecasting changed our control model from reactive to predictive Training kitchen teams on yield based recipe costing added visibility to real consumption Converting the P&L into a daily operational dashboard increased ownership among supervisors turning it into a performance scorecard rather than just an accounting report Financial control in catering isn’t about cutting cost it’s about understanding where money hides inside the operation

NEW research: WFH improves retention without damaging performance. As the CEO of a fully remote company, I’ve always been a strong advocate for remote work. Now, new research provides powerful evidence supporting it for the first time. A six-month trial with 1,612 employees revealed: - WFH cut attrition by 33% overall. - Particularly strong effect for non-managers, women, and those with longer commutes. - No significant effect on performance reviews over the next two years. - No significant effect on promotions over the next two years. - Managers who were initially skeptical revised their views positively. These findings challenge the current narratives about WFH affecting productivity, promotions,  and performance reviews. Hybrid working boosted job satisfaction and kept productivity intact. For those still doubting remote work, this study shows you that it can actually increase performance and employee wellbeing. Which is all we need to care about. Link to the full study in the comments.